Rings of Twisted Ice
by Katie and Caroline
Summary: Did eidolons create legends or did legends create eidolons? Follows the life of eidolons before they know what they are.
1. Shiva

Rings of Twisted Ice  
  
  
  
Hello. . .! I got inspiration for this when I was playing and went to the Eidolon Wall to read about the past and stuff like that. I found out Dagger's real name but anyway! I got inspired by the writings about Shiva, and how there were debates about how eidolons gave birth to legends or did legends give birth to eidolons? So I hope you enjoy reading my meager peice of fanfiction. It'll be multi-chapter so it isn't one shot. And there's a plot too! Ooh. . .It's such a big step for me! ^-^; Only Caroline is writing this fic, just so you know.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------  
  
Mother told me to run as far as I could away from our house. I asked her where. She told me to just run, run as far away from them as I could.  
  
But not to Esto Gaza. She whispered that they would find me too easily if I went there.  
  
But I liked Esto Gaza, it wasn't too far from our home either, just a little east from that giant volcano some who have passed by have called the Fire Shrine.  
  
Her voice had became hushed as she urged me out the door. Back then, when I was a mere child, I was selfish enough to think she just wanted rid of me. So preoccupied with insolent thoughts and shock I forgot to ask . . .  
  
Who are "they?"  
  
Now I believe I'll never know, for when I returned, years later, I found my mother's corpse, beaten to death and our quaint house in shambles. I don't think I'll ever go again, no matter how strong the emotional ties.  
  
She always said my father named me. Named me after someone who did great things, and he wanted his daughter to grow up and do the same.  
  
He named me Shiva. It's a very pretty name, though when I looked in the mirror I never really thought it suited me the way a name should.  
  
That was decades ago.  
  
Whatever happened to the man I call my father? Whenever I asked my mother, she pursed her lips and quickly changed the subject. I have no memories, no haunting dreams of twisted memoirs like books often boast. It's as if . . .  
  
Impossible. Everyone has a father. Though, as days, weeks, months, and even the years crawl by, I begin to wonder if I ever had a father. Someone to hug and call daddy.  
  
Mother never let me hug her.  
  
I shake that off and get up slowly off a block of ice. I've never figured why, but I seem to have lived for decades. I've noticed that as I peer longingly into the lives of the normal people, I can watch a baby be born, the child mature, and then grow old, frail, and finally die, after their meager life span is up.  
  
Yet I remain unchanging. I women with a wizened and cold heart stuck in a young girl's body.  
  
My skin turned blue one day. All those nights of sleeping on ice, not caring if I froze, changed my skin a soft, glowing blue. It suits me better than the pale peach skin I once possessed. It matches my hair and my black eyes some have said where unnerving, like the ice that is my friend.  
  
Yet I still live. I've lost all will for it. My existence seems useless, worthless. Filled to the brim with questions and loneliness. So why?  
  
Why am I like this? Why do I never grow old? Why is my skin blue instead of freezing and killing me?  
  
If my friend, Kaeler, was still alive, I'd ask her. She'd laugh and reply with some smart ass remark.  
  
"I want the gift of death," I whisper to the shimmering stars. They all seem to laugh at me. What is my purpose?  
  
I sighed heavily and walked back into my Ice Cavern. Tomorrow I'd sculpt another flower into the ice, and it would remain there forever, for a traveler to pass by when I leave and awe at its beauty.  
  
I'd forgotten how good sleep felt.  
  
I could sleep forever . . .  
  
I woke to a warm sensation. At first I didn't realize how odd this was until a boy with large wings and horns greeted me with a grin.  
  
I raised one eyebrow. Not very much startled me anymore. I calmly asked him who and what he was.  
  
He looked confused. He must not be too bright. "I don't really have a name. I'm an ifrit though, that's the tribe I'm from. Everyone else was wiped out by some big eye thingy. I've been wondering around for a while since its obliteration."  
  
Obliteration. Oh, what a big word. It might have caused some brain damage in the boy's head.  
  
"So I guess my name'll be Ifrit! What's yours?" He asked as he sat, uncomfortably I noticed, on the nearest block of ice to mine.  
  
Ifrit from the tribe of ifrits. Boy, was THAT original.  
  
"My name is Shiva," I replied. "How old are you, er, Ifrit?"  
  
He squinted his black, beady eyes in thought, and counted on his fingers that were more like claws. Must be a thinking cramp. After a few minutes of silence, he said he was around, oh, 204 years old.  
  
Funny, he's only two years older than I. He looks my age too. Maybe I'm not the only one . . . ?  
  
"Want to be my friend?" He asked happily. At least he was to the point.  
  
"Why not?" I shrugged my shoulders. I could use a friend. Even if it was an ifrit that apparently had little thought process going on in his brain, with horns, and melted all of my beautiful ice in the cavern. 


	2. Ifrit

"How can you stand it in there?" Ifrit shouted to me outside of the ice cavern, "It's so damn cold!" Apparently he couldn't stand the cold for long periods of time. This made sense. He was a creature of fire. And normally nasty and violent.  
  
The gene pool must be all screwed up. The impression I had of this particular ifrit was not the stereo-typical hater of light.  
  
Rather he was slightly unintelligent, but sweet. He has a strong ego and a fiery temperament when he is angered, but truth be told, his temper doesn't affect my calm, unfeeling nature. His temper rarely shows though, oddly enough, and only damages the ice. I would never speak truly of how I feel about him or tease the boy, it is most unhealthy to deliberately insult even the most high-minded of ifrits. Ifrit is the most loyal of friends, he has never left me these past few months, despite my attachment to ice and his hatred of it. And the most relentless of enemies, I've watched him kill some of the monsters born of the Mist.  
  
Ifrit is an intensely magical creature, and almost all of his kind are accomplished spellcasters. I need to ask Ifrit to teach me magic. Ice magic.  
  
Ifrit has become a mighty wizard, relying more on magic than brute force. He mastered all of the various schools of magic, but avoided Healing and Enchantment spells as was unsuited to his violent temperament. As might be expected, spells of elemental fire were tremendously favored by Ifrit, and most of his spells are fire based.  
  
Although he is not himself artistic, he is a connoisseur, who surrounds himself with rare and valuable things of craft and beauty. He brought several paintings and vases with him and has placed them in his caves. Must be why he tolerates the ice cavern. It is a most beautiful place.  
  
I do enjoy his company, when isn't angry or sarcastic.  
  
"Ice is my friend. Ice has always been there when you weren't here. It soothes my soul to see it's sparkling, cold beauty," I whispered softly.  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Ifrit shouted back in reply. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Ice is my friend, it comforts me."  
  
"I STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU!"  
  
"Then come in here for a second."  
  
"Noooooooooooo. . ."  
  
Immature brat.  
  
"Fiiiiiinnnne. . ." he groans as he trudges in the cavern and stands uncomfortably on the ice.  
  
"I said ice is my old, old friend. Ice has always been there when you weren't here. It soothes my soul to see it's sparkling, cold beauty. It's shimmer in the moonlight. Ice's awesome power to take away lives and still be stunning."  
  
Ifrit poked me,"Izat why your skin's all bluish?" I glared at him and sent a physic message not too touch me with his furry claws, and he shrunk slowly away from my glare.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Didn't it hurt?"  
  
"No."  
  
Silence.  
  
Then Ifrit left, and I continued work on my sculpture. 


	3. Shiva and Ifrit

Give me curly fries or give me death! Hey, I forgot to put an author's note last time. I don't know if anyone cares 'cos I don't think anyone is reading this. ^-^; If you are, let me know by Neo-mailing me, Caroline, at Neopets at cherrycherrygirl. Or e-mail me @ cheerfulpromise@sailorjupiter.com, OR REVIEW! pwease? I'll give you a cookie. . .  
  
Ew. . . She isn't a girl she's my SISTER!  
----------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
  
  
Fire. Burning down the town.  
  
Pain. Heart shattering pain, searing through my skin. . . Where. . .?  
  
I could stop it. Could I? With my power.   
  
Power?  
  
Blood. . . too much. . .  
  
Shaking, someone was shaking me. . . "Shiva! Shiva! Shiva wake up!" Warm hands, claws...  
  
My eyes fluttered open and I groaned. What had I seen?   
  
Ifrit was holding me. His black eyes softened as I awoke. I swore I saw an inkling of a tear form and be brushed away.  
  
"I'm okay. . ." I whispered hoarsely. I tried to stand up, but a shooting pain through my head made me lay back down.  
  
"Uh-huh. . . Sure Shiva. . ." Ifrit rolled his eyes and almost made my stolidness turn into a mass of giggles. Giant, fur covered ifrits with horns should not roll their eyes. It's WAY too funny.  
  
"What were you dreaming about?"   
  
"What?"  
  
"You screamed several times when you were asleep."  
  
"Oh. . ."  
  
It was quiet for awhile until I spoke,"Forget about it. Dreams mean nothing," and I walked away.  
  
"You know Shiva, if you never tell anyone your problems you'll just end up alone!"  
  
I kept on walking.  
  
I don't know why he's so kind to me. Why he sticks by my side is such an odd concept to me. Perhaps he thinks this cold girl needs a friend.  
  
Maybe I do.  
  
A friend besides this gigantic ice cavern, the sculptures I have engraved and molded into it's sparkling essence.   
  
"Ifrit?"   
  
I walked around and tripped over my ragged dress looking for him.  
  
"IFRIT!" I shouted. The first time I have in awhile. Where was that annoying beast when you needed him?  
  
I felt a giant clawed hand rest on my shoulder, and I jumped. Ifrit laughed teasingly at my reaction. I whacked him on the head and placed my hands on my hips. "What do you want?" he laughed at me.  
  
I growled at him. "Aw, c'mon Shiva. What'd you want?"  
  
I think it's irritating when people speak in constant constanants.   
  
I narrowed my eyes,"I want you to teach me magic. Specifically ice magic."  
  
He laughed at me. Really hard. I kicked him so he laid sprawled on the ice, laughing. He had those really quiet laughs where you can't hear anything except for a squeaky noise when they gasp for breath.  
  
"That's not funny."  
  
"I know! But it's so typical of you, Ice Queen."  
  
"Will you?"  
  
"Sure. . ." Ifrit said after he calmed down from his fit of hysterics.  
  
"When can we start?" I asked him.  
  
"Tomorrow," and I bid him a good night and walked to my "rooms."   
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Yeah, short. But, since no one is reading it, no one cares! It's a beautiful thing! *whimpers* 


	4. Odin

Nyaa, I'll love you forever if you submit a review! I'll review any of your stories! PLEASE! *whines and remembers the rule about begging for reviews*  
  
Hey, at least I'm not threatening to kill myself. ^^; So, if anyone is reading this, thank you, and review.   
  
  
"Cheese and crackers what now Iffy?" I murmured sleepily as the ifrit shook me. It had been years since he had taught me and I mastered magic, and invented my own spells.  
  
"There's a knight on a horse outside. He said his name was Odin. He's wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat, spear-in-hand," he told me worriedly. Most people don't pass by the Evil Forest, much less the Ice Cavern (such an original name, ne? I'll shut up).  
  
"Oh, alright. I'm up, I'm up," and I ran outside with Ifrit to meet the man.   
  
"Hello, sir," I said to the large man, "Why have you stopped here? May we help you?"  
  
Odin eyed us, amused. A frail, blue skinned girl accompanied by a giant furry ifrit that was twice her height would be rather funny.  
  
"I'm looking for Asgard, the hall of Valhalla. I wish to return to my wife, Freya. I seem to be lost. . . it's been so long since I've been home," he replied.  
  
"How long?"  
  
"I'm not sure. . . Since the last war between the towns of Lindblum and Alexandria. . ."  
  
I remember that. There were millions of bloody warriors passing by. I helped care for a few and offered some shelter for the tired. I enjoyed the company of other humans. They all called me "Blue Lady of Hope" in their delusion as they awaited death, missing their families. Ifrit helped also, even if he scared the patients, he let his sweet nature shine through and I could tell he enjoyed the company of other males. I would never forget all the blood.  
  
"I'm sorry sir. You're wife will be long dead by now. I assume that you were married around the age of twenty and the war took place around a hundred years ago sir. No human lives longer than seventy nowadays unless they are truly cursed, or blessed by the gods. . ."  
  
"What?" the man said, distraught, "a hundred years?"   
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"But. . . I left her for the war when she was forty. . . She's dead? Freya. . . My darling Freya. . ."  
  
"Sir? Would you like to rest here tonight?" I offered.  
  
As Odin's face turned sad and forlorn, he got off his horse and followed us inside. I took the horse from him and led it to the stable Ifrit and I made in our free time for passerbys. Ifrit led Odin to his room, that was near the hot springs close to the top of the cavern. I had made blankets and furnishings for it so it would be considered hospitable.  
  
Later, Ifrit sat near the fire with me. I didn't enjoy the heat, but he seemed to like the warmth.   
  
"Ifrit? What happened to all the other ifrits?" I asked as I stared at the flickering flames.  
  
"I told you. This big red eye thingy appeared in the sky and sucked everything up. Destroyed the whole city. I ran away right as I saw the flickering red lights, so I guess I'm the only one left.   
  
So, what happened to you that made you all angsty? It really can't be healthy to be that cold and sad all the time," Ifrit said.  
  
"I never knew my father. I have no memories of him. My mother never loved me, I could tell. She let me have no physical contact with her and regarded me with a cold eye.  
  
One day she told me to leave. I never knew why. She told me to escape 'them.' Although, when I returned to ask who 'they' are, pieces of the house lay scattered over the site, my mother's body laid there, ripped and beaten. It looked as if the ocean had left it's shores and attacked the house," I replied.  
  
"Oh," he said, turned to look at me and blinked a few times. I laughed at him.  
  
"Where'd you use you to live?"  
  
"Near Esto Gaza, east of the Fire Shrine."  
  
"Ooo! Fire Shrine! You'll have to take me sometime!"  
  
". . ."  
  
"How about we leave tomorrow?"  
  
"What about Odin, Iffy?"  
  
"He can come with!"  
  
". . . Good night Ifrit."  
  
"G'night Shiva."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Odin was a depressed mess that morning. Ifrit tried to cheer him up, but to no avail.  
  
I don't blame him. Wondering the world looking for your home, only to stumble upon a child who reveals that your wife is dead, since she would be 140 years old.  
  
"Ma'am, what is your name?" Odin asked me as he sat at the kitchen table.  
  
"Shiva, sir."  
  
"Shiva? Well, Shiva, why do you think I've lived for so long? 140 years. . ."  
  
"Well, I have lived for 314 years, and Ifrit is just a tad older than me," I said as I cleaned up the dishes.  
  
"WHAT? But you're just a little girl! You look only ten!" Odin widened his eyes.  
  
"Looks can be deceiving," I whispered back, "Ifrit and I don't know why yet. . ."  
  
Look beneath the skin.   
  
"Oh, and before I forget, he and I are leaving. So unless you want to stay here, which I will not permit without my supervision, I suggest you get ready to leave with us or to go home."  
  
Odin pondered this for a minute, "I think I'll go with you."  
  
"Huh? Why? Don't you want to go home? See your grandchildren?"  
  
"No. They probably all figure me for dead anyway. No use being bombarded with questions about being risen from the dead if my beloved Freya isn't there. I want to find answers, and have friends that will last almost as long as me," Odin said lazily as he swirled imagined patterns in the wood of the table.   
  
"Alright, we leave in two hours," I turned on my heel and left the room to start packing clothes and my few possessions. 


	5. The Fire Shrine

Hehehehe... guess what I'm gonna say? Guess?   
  
REVIEW please! *smiles* Now on the with the story, and please review! I'll love you forver if you do! And no, I'm not dead yet, seeing as to I haven't updated in quite a long time, but I have a life dealio with it as no one is reading this story. Nyaa.  
  
  
  
"IFRIT! ODIN!"  
  
"What?" replied the soldier and the ifrit.  
  
"Slow... Down..." I gasped for air and desperately wished for a walking stick. Did they not notice I was a good thirty feet behind them?  
  
"Oh, okay!" the ifrit said cheerily as he stopped walking.  
  
I snarled at him. We left my Ice Cavern just a few hours ago on our trip to the Fire Shrine and to my old home, Ifrit wanted to see the volcano for himself. It was not a pleasant trip, for me at least Odin was walking slowly on his 6 legged horse, Ifrit was almost skipping, and I was trudging behind, struggling to breath.  
  
I'm sorry I'm only a girl. Physically, I'm still ten at that!  
  
"Hurry up Shiva!" Odin called pleasantly, to which he earned an icy glare and a low growl from deep within my throat.  
  
  
  
"Wanna rest Shiv?" Ifrit asked me, looking up as I had ended up riding on Odin's horse and Odin was leading it. I nodded eagerly and hopped off the horse, plopping on the ground.   
  
After the horse was tied to a nearby tree which was pretty much, well, dead. Ifrit sat down with me, I looked pointedly at him and said,"You. Fire. Now."  
  
He raised an eyebrow and set a small section of the ground on fire. Then I looked at Odin and said,"You. Food. Now." And the brave warrior obediently made some soup from our rations under my stare.  
  
I ate a little, Ifrit beat me to most of it. I pulled out a blanket and slept soundly under the stars, silently laughing at Odin's attempts to set up a tent. I passed out before he succeeded.  
  
  
  
Ifrit woke me at dawn, I used my magic taught by Ifrit to splash water so cold it was almost frozen on Odin's face to wake him. He was a deep sleeper. Ifrit's shakes couldn't rouse him.  
  
We skipped breakfast, we had plenty of energy from last night's meal and could wait until lunch. The no shadow time, as fleeting as it was, signaled the middle of the day and the following meal.  
  
Odin let me ride his horse again, and it was a slow journey onward towards Esto Gaza and the Fire Shrine. Riding a horse is a lot of work you know, very taxing on your legs and rear.  
  
  
  
  
We had arrived at Esto Gaza. It was a long trip, some on boat because we had to cross the vast ocean. I wore a heavy cloak, paranoid that my mother's spoken pursuers were still alive and searching. And to cover my glowing blue skin. I didn't like having people oogle at me. Odin bought more supplies, Ifrit oogled at everything he saw, and I whacked him quite a few times before he figured out not to stare. "It isn't polite, twit," were my exact words.   
  
Then there was some girl, she was very beautiful, I must admit, in a warm kind of way, but, her beauty was not surpassed by her intelligence. She was carrying on a conversation with her friend, I didn't hear most of it but I did catch: "Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." (A/N: Mariah Carey said that once. I swear!)  
  
I went browsing, dragging Ifrit with me, at the shops. I found a hair dryer that had a warning label of "WARNING: Do not use while sleeping." Darn, that's the only time I have to work on my hair.   
  
Later, after we departed Esto Gaza, Ifrit constantly questioned me of the Fire Shrine.  
  
"Is it big?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Is it pretty?"  
  
"..."   
  
"What's it like?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Aw! C'mon Shiv!"  
  
"My name is Shiva."  
  
"You're avoiding the question!"  
  
"..."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"..."   
  
As you may imagine, the question "Are we there yet?" was repeated many times, and so was my silence as I lead the way.  
  
"Ifrit, why do you want to go to the Fire Shrine?"  
  
"Because it's called the Fire Shrine, why else?"  
  
I was a little shocked for a second, thought this over, then exploded,"You mean we traveled half way around the world because YOU THOUGHT THE NAME WAS COOL?"  
  
Ifrit looked a little sheepish and nodded as I groaned.  
  
"Oh, I think there was another reason!" He said after some thought. He only thought there was another reason?   
  
"Yeah, the village elder made all the younger ifrits that when he died, one of us would put his ashes into the lava of the Fire Shrine. Since I am the only one left, well, I wanted to keep our promise."  
  
"That's sweet Iffy."   
  
"Thanks."  
  
"NOT!" I yelled and I whacked him with the frying pan I now carried everywhere and grinned happily.  
  
I got a glare, but that doesn't matter. He's too cheerful to be good at it.   
  
  
  
"We're here."  
  
"Oohh! It's so cool! Last one to the top is a rotten egg!"   
  
Guess who said that. So I had the horse trot it's way up the hill, Odin and Ifrit racing. Men and their stupid instinctive competitiveness. I rolled my eyes.  
  
When we reached the top, Ifrit looked down, happy with the intense heat, and I used spelled magic ice to keep me cold.  
  
I watched with interest as Ifrit pulled out an urn, and emptied it's contents into the volcano, then scrambled around the rim looking for a way in.   
  
"What was that for Ifrit?" Odin asked, and they had a conversation about dead relatives, ashes, and returning to dust nonsense.   
  
"Have fun Ifrit. I'm going to head to my old house and my mother's grave..." I said as I turned and left.   
  
"Okay!" They yelled after me. 


	6. Mother

I just realized I switch tenses a lot. Deal with it. . Sorry for not coming out with this chapter sooner! I know its short but so is life and then you die.  
  
  
"Mother... I wish you were still here. You never loved me, I don't think, but, I wish you could answer all these questions that I have. Who am I Mother? Who is my father? Why do I care who he is, why do I need to know..."  
  
"Help me."  
  
"I need you. I need someone who will tell me.."  
  
  
  
  
"Hey Shiv! How'd it go?" Ifrit trotted up to me cheerfuly with Odin in tow, meeting me at the bottom of the Fire Shrine.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Aren't you going to say anything besides fine, lady?" Odin asked me. He calls me lady instead of by my name, but I like it better than Shiv.   
  
"Fine."  
  
"Are you sure you're okay Shiv?"  
  
"I'm fine!" I screamed at them and go into a sulking position on the horse.  
  
"Shiv, it's alright..."  
  
"No it's not! NO IT'S NOT!" I scream again, and start choking on tears. I can't cry, I just can't. Not in front of them...  
  
"I think I'll leave you guys alone, you know her better than me..." Odin whispered to Ifrit, not thinking I could hear, and he slinks away.  
  
"Shiv..."  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"   
  
"Shiva, it's alright. I promise, just tell me what's wrong..."  
  
"Nothing is wrong, just leave me alone..." I whispered. No one could ever understand. Ifrit didn't have his mother's dying words to haunt him for the rest of his damn life!  
  
"Well la dee fricken da then! God, you can be so b-..."  
  
"Do you WANT to finish that sentence?" I glared pointedly at him. Never mess with a deppressed, pissed, prone to voilent actions, blue, hundreds of years old girl. Never.  
  
He shook his head no and scrambeled off.   
  
"I thought so." 


	7. Mother cont

A few minutes laterm Ifrit comes back to try again. Poor sap.  
  
"Shiva?"  
  
"Hmmm...?"  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
I laugh.  
  
"Shiva?"  
  
"Hmmm...?" I manage in between giggles.   
  
"Are you feeling sane?"  
  
"Quite. Why?"  
  
"What was your mother like?"   
  
"Cold, I guess. Distant. Never intentionally mean, but her distance, was creul. Thought she was with me, I always felt so..." I paused.  
  
"Alone."  
  
I was quiet then. Those memories, they were terrible. I hated my mother with my whole heart. She never loved me. She never cared. I don't even know her damn name! May she be rot in hell! She doesn't deserve the luxeries of heaven. 


End file.
